


too busy being yours

by LesbianLucretia



Category: Half-Life, Half-Life VR But The AI Is Self Aware
Genre: 2 Gordons, Crossover, Friendly flirting, HLVRAI meets Half Life 2, M/M, Mild Freehoun, NOT a love triangle, Not polyamory, Not so mild Frenrey, Post-HLVRAI, this is basically incomprehensible by the way theres no solid plot its just me fucking around
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:41:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25281046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LesbianLucretia/pseuds/LesbianLucretia
Summary: Barney very suddenly realizes— Benrey’s flirting with him.And he’s been flirting back.
Relationships: Benrey & Barney Calhoun, Benrey/Barney Calhoun, Benrey/Gordon Freeman, Gordon Freeman/Barney Calhoun
Comments: 9
Kudos: 266





	too busy being yours

**Author's Note:**

> ok so i literally have never played half life 2 but i enjoy barney and was gonna make content for barney/benrey bcus the concept is incredibly funny. except this went from “benrey/barney” to “barney is flattered but actually stans freehoun and frenrey”
> 
> i have no idea how barney talks or acts this is all a guess from the 40 second clip i saw of him when watching only the beginning 2 minutes of hl2 to prevent spoilers bcus i genuinely do wanna play it for myself.
> 
> also no this isnt the sequel to my last fic yet srry

“Oh hey.”

Barney blinks and looks up, seeing the guard— Benrey, he remembers— in front of him. Barney wasn’t sure he heard him walk up but he was here now, looking right into his eyes. It’s… off-putting, just a little bit, ‘cause this guy doesn’t seem to have any irises or pupils. Just two icy-blue eyes, completely blank. He has no idea if the guy is looking him in the eyes, actually. He could very well be looking in any other direction. 

“Hey there.” He shakes his head a little and smiles in apology, realizing he’d been staring a little. “Tired of listening to all that sci-fi nonsense?” Barney pointedly looks up and nods towards the science boys chatting away in the corner. 

They were down two people currently— Alyx and the guy in the spinner hat had gone off together, talking about Dog— so it was just Dr. Kliener, Eli, the two new Black Mesa scientists (one of which had said his name was Bubby of all things, which Barney didn’t really buy) and not just _the goddamn Gordon Freeman_ but _two of them._

 _Two_ Gordon Freemans— apparently one of them was somehow from an alternate dimension, but both of them had gone through the hell that had been Black Mesa and _survived_. Right now, one of them was moving his hands around at mach speed as he talked and talked, and the other was signing back and quietly nodding along. 

(Barney found himself smiling at the latter— his Gordon. It’s been 20 years for Barney but he’d never been able to let go of the affection he felt for him. He really hopes that once everything is over with, his Gordon’ll take him up on that offer for a drink.)

“Huh? Wh— no, I.” Benrey cuts himself off and shifts his feet. He’s got his fists balled, his shoulders tensed, and Barney’s eyebrows furrow slightly. “You, um. You aren’t supposed to be in here.”

“What?” He chokes back a laugh of surprise.

“Yeah um. I’m gonna have to see your passport, please.” Benrey continues, deadpan. Barney can’t hold back the smile on his face at how ridiculous this interaction is.

“My _passport_ ?” He clarifies. Benrey nods. “Why do you need my _passport_?”

At the word _‘passport’,_ the alternate-Gordon turns to look at the two of them so fast he nearly breaks his own neck. 

“Benrey, what are you doing over there?” He calls out loudly. Benrey turns to look back at him but doesn’t answer immediately. “ _Benrey_.”

“None of your beeswax.” He mumbles back, shoulders raising like an offended cat.

Not-Gordon squints. “I swear to _God_ , Benrey—“

Benrey shakes his head around and sings out a stream of glowing orbs of light towards his Gordon. Barney watches him do it curiously, he’s seen it happen a couple of times but not up close. What did the scientist with the mustache call it again? His “ _Sweet Voice_ ”?

“Benrey,” Not-Gordon waves his hand around, trying to push the orbs away but they remain hanging in the air. “Stop harassing him or I’ll—“

“It’s— he’s alright, Mr. Freeman.” Barney assures, using the name they’d all agreed on to distinguish the two— Gordon and Mr. Freeman. “I really don’t mind.”

Benrey sticks out his tongue, scowling as the guy turns back around to catch what Barney’s Gordon was saying. 

Barney raises an eyebrow. “Is he always like that?” He asks him.

“Whuh?” Benrey stares up at him.

“Like that. All… business-business, no fun allowed?”

Benrey blinks at him, looking surprised for a second, but falls back into his blank expression. “Not… all the time. ‘s okay when he’s not all stressed ‘n scared.” He ducks his head as he says it, making it come out more as a mumble. Barney thinks it's the most coherent and serious thing he’s ever heard this guy say.

“That sounds like my Gordon, too.” Barney smiles, trying to relate to him. “But I feel like mine’s not as uh, rough around the edges as yours, huh?”

Benrey snorts in response but quickly forces his expression back to neutral. _He really doesn’t wanna be seen having any emotions, huh?_ He puts his hands behind his back. “Sorry.” 

Barney slumps his shoulders playfully. “Don’t apologize for laughing at my jokes, man, I’m really tryin’ here.”

Benrey purses his lips and Barney sees him relax his shoulders ever so slightly. He’s getting through to him, maybe. “Your uh. Can I see your id, please, sir?”

Barney tilts his head. This has to be some kinda code, right? Seems real out of place to keep asking when he’s obviously aware of everything that’s going on. Is it an anxiety response or something? A test? Is he just like this around people he doesn’t know?

“Yeah, sure.” He decides to humor him and digs out his old Black Mesa ID card he’s kept out for purely sentimental reasons. He hands it to Benrey, who turns it over in his hands. 

“Thank you,” He says quickly, studying the card.

“Everything in order?” Barney asks.

Benrey glances up at him (at least, Barney thinks he does) but looks back down quickly. He hands it back. “Um. It's expired, sorry, can’t accept this.” He clears his throat a little. “Do you have— you got your passport? Please?”

“Sorry, I left it in my other coat.” Barney says, tucking the ID carefully back into his pocket. “Can you just let me off with a warning this time, sir? I promise I’ll bring it next time.”

“Oh,” He responds quietly. “Yeah, but i’m gonna have to follow you. Please.”

“That’s alright, I understand.” Barney holds back an amused chuckle, but not his smile. “It would be against protocol to let a guy like me walk around with no clearance.”

Benrey’s eyes widen almost imperceptibly and Barney very suddenly realizes— Benrey’s _flirting_ with him. He has been this whole time. 

And Barney has been flirting _back_. 

That makes his face feel a little warm but mostly out of how _flattered_ he feels. He likes it, genuinely. It feels _good_ to play this push and pull game again. To say something teasing and watch the other person react, to pull each other in with smiles and glances just as much as they do with their words. It’s all good fun, he knows too, nothing serious about it. He’s got eyes on someone else, anyways.

But, y’know, it doesn’t hurt that Benrey doesn’t look half-bad. He’s got his eyes, which the more Barney looks at the more he realizes how pretty of a blue they are. He’s also a man in uniform— still dressed in the old Black Mesa guard fatigues, and while Barney didn’t think it did himself any favors back in the day, it _certainly_ works on Benrey. _Somehow_.

“Is that all?” Barney asks, flashing him a smile. He watches Benrey exhale through his nose and realizes there’s a faint blush on his face. Barney thinks he may look the same.

“Yeah, um, sorry, still gonna have to follow you, though. Please.”

Barney nods. “Hearing you loud and clear, _sir_.” He puts emphasis on the sir and watches as Benrey’s blush intensifies. He’s pretty cute, he thinks.

“Hey, you two get over here! Group decision!” Someone calls— and when Barney looks up he sees it was Dr. tall, sharp, and egotistical.

He winks at Benrey and walks over to the science corner, noting that Benrey was actually serious about following him. He’s suddenly attached himself to Barney’s hip, not going more than 3 feet away. He doesn’t mind it, but he hopes it won’t be like this the whole time.

During their group decision on what to do about the whole “crossing realities” and “aliens have taken over the earth” things, Barney notices that Gordon— sorry, Not-Gordon— keeps glancing over at the two ex-guards. He frowns everytime he does, too, like he’s confused as to why his buddy has started to cling to Barney. It’s almost annoying, but the confusion seems to be something deeper than Barney thinks. 

When he leans over to whisper a joke into Benrey’s ear, making the man have to muffle a laugh, Not-Gordon looks over at him again and Barney thinks he sees something akin to annoyance on his face that time. And this time, it’s almost completely directed at _Barney_. 

Huh. This keeps getting more and more interesting.

When Alyx and Tommy get back, they decide to split up and get to work on their big, meticulous plan to take down the Combine on this Earth and get the others back home to their Earth.

Alyx, Barney’s Gordon, and Tommy team up together. Dr. Bubby, Dr. Coomer, Eli, and Dr. Kliener stay at base to handle the more science-y side of things. 

That leaves Not-Gordon, Benrey, and Barney to go off together on their own mission.

Barney’s still a little uncomfortable around this Gordon. He’s nothing like the one he’s familiar with, that was obvious from the start. He’s louder, obviously, and far more apprehensive to violence. He’s always checking in on his team, too, and constantly keeping them in line. He has a genuine moment of care from his scientist buds, all of them wishing him luck, but he still made sure to tell them to keep on guard and stay on their best behavior. Somewhat like a supervisor. He does it constantly, even when it’s not needed. 

Like when they’re barely even out in the field and he’s snapping at Benrey to get his attention on him and direct him away from something.

“Hey, stop,” He says as he does it, frowning at how Benrey is squatting in front of a pile of scrap and singing lights at it. “What the fuck are you even doing? Wh— Are you cocooning it? Why are you cocooning it? It’s just garbage, man.”

“It’s cold,” Benrey reasons, and Barney can see the slight squint in his eyes. Somewhat like a cat when they’ve just knocked a glass off of a table. He’s so obviously fucking around but Gordon wipes a hand down his face.

“It’s not fucking— it’s not _alive_ , it doesn’t _matter_ if it’s cold or not.”

“But what if it gets sick. Then what.”

“It _can’t_ get sick—“ He heaves out a huge sigh. “No— Hold on— _Why_ do you care so much about it getting sick? It’s metal, dude, it’s fucking _scraps_.”

“If it gets sick then, um,” He hesitates, trying to figure out what to say. “Then we can’t use it anymore.”

“What would we even use it _for_?” Not-Gordon asks, exasperated.

There’s a beat. “Eat it.”

“Don’t— you _can’t_ eat it, man! That’s— you’ll die if you eat that shit, _don’t_ fucking—“ He slaps a hand to his face and groans. “I don’t know why I even try to argue with you anymore.”

Benrey gives Barney a look from behind Gordon, smug and amused, and Barney has to cover up a snort with clearing his throat.

They get going. It’s a long walk ‘til they get where they _are_ going, using the sewers underneath the city to get there. Barney’s the only one who knows how to traverse them, which is why he’s leading now. Gordon keeps pace with him and Benrey hangs back. 

“So,” Gordon starts. “He wasn’t like, harrassing you earlier, was he?”

“Nope,” Barney says.

“No like, demanding for your passport or—“

“Oh, yeah, he was, but I didn’t have it. So we... worked out a deal.”

“You— huh? You worked out a _deal_?” Gordon clarifies, rapidly looking behind them and back. Barney nods. “Damn he must— he must like you more than me or something.” The way he says it is… a little more than annoyed. Really leaning into resentment, honestly.

“Or something.” Barney replies, being honest.

He saw the way Benrey was following Gordon around like a puppy before he came up to him. The way that Benrey liked to pull Gordon’s leg was oddly reminiscent of someone not knowing how to tell their crush they like them, so they just leave notes on their desk telling them to leave their school. The fact that Gordon sounded resentful that Benrey was treating him better didn’t go over his head, either. The two of ‘em had it bad for each other and now Barney was caught in the middle of some kinda falsely-perceived love triangle because the two of them had the emotional range of cacti.

At least _Benrey_ didn’t also seem to be standing in a river in Egypt. 

Speaking of Benrey, Barney keeps turning back every so often and sees him keeping up while also looking around the dark tunnel. He’s got his pistol out and his helmet on, obviously on the alert for danger and watching their six for them.

“He’s probably scheming back there,” Not-Gordon says at some point, a few hours into their overnight journey. “Or like, trying to find some way to fuck with us.”

Barney pauses in his walking and glances back at Benrey again. He pauses at the same time and turns all the way around, scanning. He turns back and makes a gesture with his hands— Barney thinks it’s sign language first, but then he recognizes that it’s the old Black Mesa universal security guard signaling. He’s calling the all clear, telling him that they’re safe for now. Barney nods back to him and keeps going.

“See! Like that— he’s completely incomprehensible, he just makes up words to fuck with me.” Gordon complains in a whispered hiss. “I bet he was just telling us to go fuck ourselves or something.”

Barney raises an eyebrow at him. “He was saying that it’s all clear behind us.” 

Gordon looks at him with wide eyes. “Wh— hhhhow do you know that?” 

“It was Black Mesa security signals. We got the whole dictionary of ‘em drilled into our head back in Black Mesa— they wanted us to be able to communicate in silence in a way that couldn’t easily be intercepted.” Barney shrugs with one shoulder. “Didn’t even think that I’d still recognize it 20 years later, to be honest.”

Gordon scowls. “See, I don’t get why he’s being normal with you— he’s _always_ fucking around with me. He’s never been anything but a goddamn _menace—_ “

Barney stops again and turns to look Not-Gordon in the eye. “I haven’t known either of you for very long, but Benrey’s been nothing but polite, flattering, or just joking around since he got here— even in his interactions with you. I think you should stop letting your confirmation bias fog up your perception of people.”

“Oh,” Gordon says dumbly. “Uh. Sorry.”

“ _I’m_ not the one you should be apologizing to, Doc.” Barney tells him, firmly, before turning back around and continuing to walk. 

Not-Gordon goes silent. He falls back a couple steps, then, and Barney doesn’t mind in the slightest.

They keep going for another hour or so before hunkering down to get some sleep for the rest of the journey tomorrow. They find an indent leading to a welded-shut door and sit there, splitting a canteen of clean water and some rations between themselves. Barney goes over the rest of the plan again, just to make sure they remember it clearly. 

Benrey stays close to Barney, not really talking back or being responsive but still listening to him and occasionally picking at loose threads on his sleeve. Gordon is moping. Quiet and introspective for the first time since he got to this dimension, but still listening.

“And then we’re meeting back up where we started.” Barney finishes. “Clear?”

“Yeah,” Gordon says. “Clear.”

Benrey doesn’t give a verbal affirmation, but he does meet Barney’s eyes. Which is… good enough, he thinks.

“I’ll take first watch,” Barney says and groans as he stands. “Get some rest.”

Benrey gives him a thumbs up. Gordon nods. 

Barney walks off and goes to sit against the wall just outside of the indent, out of sight of both of them but not out of an earshot.

“...Hey, Benrey?” Not-Gordon says, his voice quiet and tentative.

“Huh?”

“...Sorry.”

There’s a pause.

“Uh. Why?”

“I haven’t been very fair to you. You— I’ve seen that you’re not all bad and that you aren’t just trying to kill me all the time and it’s not fair of me to keep assuming you are.”

“Oh.” There’s a sound like clothing shifting around. “...Thanks, bro.”

There’s a companionable silence then, and Barney sighs pleasantly. 

He shifts into a more comfortable position. Maybe these two aren’t as much of a lost cause as he originally thought.


End file.
